“I feel at home here”: TCD meets Hertha BSC fan favourite Jonjoe Kenny
Jonjoe Kenny is a player reborn. The ex-Evertonian from Liverpool has spent the last 18-months charting his own footballing path in the city of Berlin, where his resilience, talent and understated leadership have made him a core part of the largest team in the German capital. We sat down with the Hertha BSC defender to talk fan culture, moving to Germany, and why he can’t get enough of playing at the Olympiastadion.
Photographer: Pia Henkel.
We’re positioned in a section of the Hertha gym, surrounded by exercise bikes, running equipment and yoga mats. Young players, coaches and fitness staff amble through routinely, carrying out mid-afternoon recovery sessions, all while making a conscious effort not to disturb our conversation.
Kenny looks at home here. For a player who’s built a reputation as one of the most dynamic in the 2. Bundesliga, it’s a fitting location.
Visible through a window just over his right shoulder, too, is the Olympiastadion – its formidable presence an unavoidable fixture of the Charlottenburg skyline.
“I love home games so much,” he remarks, as we both turn to admire the view. “I can’t wait for the next one.”
And why wouldn’t he? With 11 goals and assists in his 29 games so far, including some seismic individual performances in memorable wins, Jonjoe Kenny is enjoying arguably the best season of his career to date. His relentless energy, poise in defence and lung-busting runs forward have earned him a reputation as a favourite of both the fans and the manager.
Just two days earlier, Hertha Berliner Sport-Club demolished their North Rhine-Westphalia rivals Schalke 5-2, in a gladiatorial atmosphere that has become a regular occurrence this season. Despite missing out through suspension, it was an occasion of significance for Kenny.
Schalke represented Kenny’s first foray into German football, in a loan move from Everton during the 2019-2020 season. “It was something I felt I couldn’t turn down,” he admits.
“It was a massive chance for me. To leave England, my family home – I learned more about myself than I ever had done before.” It was a bold move, but one which the then 22-year-old grasped fully – scoring in just his third game and winning the rookie of the month award for August 2019. The experience clearly left a lasting impression.
Photographer: Pia Henkel.
But Kenny returned to an Everton team undergoing one of the most difficult periods in its recent history: financial difficulty, a managerial merry-go-round and a string of seasons that flirted with relegation. It’s a period he looks back on with mixed feelings.
“It was always a dream to play for Everton. I lived two minutes from the ground, I was in the academy from nine-years-old. To fulfill that dream was amazing.”
“But I always felt,” he pauses momentarily – searching for the right words, “that no matter how well I performed, things just didn’t really go my way.” The added demands of being the hometown kid at a club as passionate and historic as Everton, particularly during an intensely draining time, was a weight that Kenny had to carry more than most.
“I think because I was from there, I knew and loved the club – I took everything more personally,” he admits. “Especially after a defeat, you couldn’t really get away from it.”
Photographer: Pia Henkel.
Despite being favoured under then manager Frank Lampard, and having avoided Premier League relegation in dramatic fashion, Kenny makes clear that his decision to leave at the expiration of his contract was entirely a decision of his own making. “He [Lampard] was always there for me in that situation. He wanted me to stay, but always let me know that it was my decision.”
Having played, at this point in his career, for clubs the size of Everton, Schalke and Celtic, his next move merited a certain magnitude. So when Hertha BSC came calling, it made perfect sense.
His permanent move in 2022 made him the latest English player to have dived head-first into German football, and he’s quick to cite those that came before as an influential factor – at least subconsciously. “I think Jadon [Sancho] coming out and doing so well made a difference,” he explains.
But Kenny is being typically modest. His 2019 loan move made him an outlier; not even Jude Bellingham had made the switch by then. He’s earnest about the personal strides he had to take to make the move work. “The biggest thing is leaving home. Especially for me, I was a bit of a homebird! Entering a dressing room where you don’t speak the language… It's sink or swim.”
It’s a path he’s evidently proud to have taken, and thinks for young English players, it could just be the start. “I think more young players are tempted than you might realise,” he explains.
Photographer: Pia Henkel.
As if on cue, 19-year-old defensive midfielder Bradley Ibrahim, who left Arsenal for a new opportunity last October, swings open the door to the gym. He walks past, exchanging a nod with Kenny on the way through. “Perfect example,” he says, gesturing in Ibrahim’s direction. “He’s a young lad, just joined from Arsenal, ready to tackle a new challenge head-on. It’s amazing. Understanding what is expected of you as a professional is the most important thing early on.” Kenny’s leadership and maturity on the pitch is clearly something that translates off it too.
On the transition from Merseyside to Berlin, he’s frank about the challenges he faced.
“At first it’s never easy when you move. I was very English! Even the little things – like how everyone waits for the green man before crossing the road, and all the cyclists. It sounds small, but they all add up. The language is obviously a big one, but I’m in a good place with it. You just have to get involved as much as you can.”
The spirit of getting involved has clearly paid off for him. “I do really love the city, and so does my girlfriend. We’re settled here.”
Electing to play at the Olympiastadion every other week was a no-brainer. That part, at least, was easy.
“Some games we get 60,000 or 70,000 – some Premier League grounds don’t get that. Well most, actually!” The heritage of the club and the connection to the supporters was something he understood right away.
“The fan culture is insane: it regularly takes my breath away,” Kenny admits. For a player whose resume boasts grounds like Celtic Park and Goodison Park, that speaks volumes. “You see, sometimes, fans come onto the pitch to talk to the players. But it’s always supportive – even during tough times or after a defeat. For my family to see that when they’ve come to watch me play, that’s special.”
Photographer: Tobias Schmidt.
These are scenes unheard of in England; the post-match consultation with fans – win or lose – is a fixture of German football. There’s an accountability to not only the supporters, but thanks to the 50+1 ownership model, the soul of the institution itself. Allowing that connection to fuel his performance opened up a whole new world for Jonjoe.
“That connection after a win made me feel like: ‘I’m here, and I love this feeling.’ Experiencing that was a game-changer,” he explains. “Once I let that drive my motivation, that was it for me.”
There’s a very strong case to be made that the 2. Bundesliga has been the most entertaining league in Europe this year. Most games are breathlessly chaotic; derbies are never without drama; attendances are some of the highest on the continent.
And while last season’s relegation from the Bundesliga was a bitter pill to swallow, this Hertha team are in many ways the perfect encapsulation of the 2. Bundesliga’s adrenaline-fuelled entertainment value. In their last five games, there have been wins of 3-2, 4-0 and 5-2; a 3-3 draw; and a 2-3 defeat.
“I’d say these are some of the most intense games I’ve ever played in,” Kenny reveals, letting out a huge sigh, as if reeling off these increasingly crazy scorelines is forcing him to relive every yard he ran in those games.
Photographer: Tobias Schmidt.
“I’ve never felt fitter, but I’ve never felt like I needed to be as fit as this. The way some of the games are played,” he laughs, “it’s like a basketball game!” As the marauding full-back in this Hertha team, there’s no-one better qualified to comment. But the excitement with which he speaks about these games is a sure sign that he’s learned to enjoy the fiery atmospheres and mad games for exactly what they are. He’s adapted – moulding his temperament to the scenes around him – feeding off them when necessary, but at the same time being the cool-headed and resolute figure that a young team requires.
While promotion looks just beyond Hertha’s reach, they’ll be a strong favourite to push again next year. Kenny’s view of the season so far is measured: “The amount of change that the club has gone through even in the past few months – I don’t think people understand how hard that is.” In typical fashion, he concludes with a selfless nod to his teammates: “The young players who have come in have done incredibly well.”
Jonjoe Kenny is now a player who, even in a city as mind-bending and vast as Berlin, is firmly rooted in the present. “I like doing simple things. Playing football, going for a coffee, being as relaxed as possible.”
Given the journey it took to get here, and the frenzied nature of both the games and the city in which he now calls home, it’s safe to say he’s earned it.
